Jim James has announced “The Future Is Voting Tour,” comprising six nonpartisan multi-artist shows in college towns in electoral “swing districts” that he instigated in order to promote voter participation. Set to begin with a celebratory late-night open-to-the-public event at Emo’s in Austin, TX on October 7, the tour will feature Benjamin Booker, Made of Oak (Nick Sanborn of Sylvan Esso) and many others to be announced as the tour commences. Information on tickets for the Emo’s event is available HERE. All the other dates will be free to students, and some will be streamed on YouTube. The complete dates are below.
“The importance of getting involved at this moment in time cannot be overstated. This isn’t only a Get Out The Vote concert,” says James. “This is a learning moment aimed at college students to motivate them to vote, regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum. Each stop on the tour purposefully takes place in a contested electoral district or state for this important midterm election, where students and young voters have the ability to dramatically affect the outcome of this tremendous moment in history. Please join special surprise guests and myself at these events with the goal of truly inspiring thought, discourse and participation.”
“The Future Is Voting Tour” is part concert, part town hall meeting, during which James will perform a solo set alongside performances from Booker, Made of Oak and others soon to be announced. The meeting segment of the tour will include a non-partisan forum where candidates and their representatives will be invited to speak directly to students and take their toughest questions.
HeadCount, a rapidly growing voter-engagement non-profit (501c3), has organized the tour with James and will be underwriting it in its entirety. In addition to all of the artists donating their time, HeadCount has also created an Indiegogo funding page where fans can make donations and receive special experiences and commemorative items from the tour.
THE FUTURE IS VOTING TOUR DATES
OCTOBER
7 – Austin, TX – Emo’s (open to the public)
9 – San Marcos, TX – Texas State University (students only)
10 – Milwaukee, WI – University of Wisconsin Milwaukee (students only)
15 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre
16 – Indianola, IA – Simpson College (students only)
17 – Urbana, IL – Canopy Club
